Penang Revisited-10th November 2012

With Zuraidah & her children

Omar with a former colleague in Golden Sands, Razlan

Penang Bridge

Penang Revisited- 10th November 2012

Penang holds great memories for me and family. After i got married 
in 1981, i got a transfer to work at the Malaysian Tourism Office in Penang as Omar was working at his first job at the Golden Sands Hotel  after coming back from Japan. We had small salaries by today's standard but we could survive as life was very simple and we had no car loan or  housing loan to worry  and we used public transport most of the time. Standard of living was  alright and i remembered 1 kilo of prawns was rm 9  which you have to pay around rm 45 now. I used to stop by the road side along the Tanjong Tokong road to buy vegetables as they had many vegetables plots along the road to our rented room in Chee Seng Garden, in the Tanjung Bungah area. Now you only see high rise buildings or large bungalow houses that are turned into boutiques, cafes, beauty parlors, banks etc. Most of the areas in the island are well developed and what i like most, the buildings are mostly painted white which is so Penang.
I stayed long enough in the island  till i delivered my first child Lutfi at the Penang Medical Centre and now it has been taken over by Gleneagles. When Omar moved to Johore Bahru to move on in his carrier  with Holiday Inn , Lutfi was only a baby of 8 months. We never return to the island until much much later only once. We were all over in Malaysia. Tioman, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan , Lumut,Kuala Lumpur 
When we had to comeback for the wedding of my nieces in Kuala Kangsar we took the opportunity to revisit Penang . But off course our main intention was to visit our dear friend Zuraidah who had just loss her husband Shukri to cancer just 2 months before i manage to track her in the facebook. We were sad to hear the news and so we decided to visit her and at the same time a brief holiday with the kids as well.
It was a pleasant drive on our Malaysian highway  but i always have this phobia of driving during the holiday season . The year end school holiday just started and the long weekend with Deepavalli round the corner and followed by Awal Muharram holiday. I heard so much how people got stranded for hours on the highways and the Penang Bridge could be jammed up too.
Off course we were lucky, the SPM exams are still on, so people with kids having their exams had to stay put hence we were lucky traffic was good except when it rained, driving was slow.
We were all excited to come back to Penang as a family. Most of us already had in mind what to order for our meals. Off course! Penang is the gourmet paradise in Malaysia . Sorry orang Johore or orang Kelantan, ha ha ha. Nasi khandaq, Char Kway Teow, Pasembor or is it  Pasembok, Mee Udang ( sorry Aiman, next time we have mee udang, Insyaallah) Rojak buah, soup kambing, the famous bubur stall near Gama super market, Pulut Panggang, ooi, sedap nya, i miss this also. The list can go longer off course if we add the non halal food as well.
We have only 2 nights, and we can only eat 4 meals. Breakfast we had in the hotel , even though i was so tempted to wake them up to drive to Tanjong Tokong for the lovely local breakfast there and to see the busy atmosphere of the workers going to work at the port or factories early in the morning to "tapau" their breakfast . The stalls are open from as early as 4.30 am.
So we had not much time to eat so many things which we really missed. As it was raining on the first night we had limited choice to to look for food. We drove to Hillside and there we had Rudy's Char Kway Teow. We were surprised that the stall is still there but Pak Ruddy has passed away and now its run by his chinese convert wife to run the stall with 1 helper. Oooh! the kway teow was so so good. From the first spoon full till the end was so tasty. Perfect! Kway Teow was only RM3.50 We had nasi lemak bungkus too and it was rm 2.Drinks came in big, long & tall glasses and are so so much cheaper than in KL. Adoi! lucky Penangites!

In Penang to have a plate of Kway Teow also have to queue!

Driving in Penang is still bearable. Plenty of traffics but try to avoid Gurney drive in the evening. Its just absurd and don't dream of getting a good parking lot near the stalls. Park at the shopping mall and take a long walk to the hawker centres. We could have done that but the rain decided for us to have dinner somewhere else.

The rest of the evening on the first night we just drove around the city and refresh our memories on the major highlights of the city. We passed my former Tourist office & the clock tower near the port. One most memorable thing which i will never forget is the daily walk which i took after office or sometimes during lunch time to the Milo stall near HSBC to have my daily dosage of good old milo! That time i was heavily pregnant with Lutfi. Sometimes i would cycle or take a trishaw just to buy soya bean drink near Chowrasta Market. 

The Tun Uda Ferry terminal still look the same but there are lots of changes along the main road near the terminal. The Rice Miller hotel is under construction and i particularly like this one kopitiam called Mamu Kopitiam adjacent to it.

We returned to the hotel and it was a pleasant surprised when we met an old friend Fong Peng Kuan & his wife Ruby whom we knew since our Penang days. I was taking pictures in the hotel when i saw someone standing in the restaurant. His head was so familiar and i told myself, he looks like Fong Peng Kuan. Just as i was about to leave and he turned towards me. Oh my god! it was really him. We had a brief conversation between him , Omar & me as he was busy with a reunion gathering of 2 clans in their family. But it was really a wonderful surprise. Later i went to talk to Ruby. But the best part is,all of us are residing in the Klang Valley but 
never had a chance to meet.

We stayed at The 1926 Heritage Hotel. It was formerly the government  quarters of Jalan Burmah converted into hotel. 
Owned by the Penang Development Corporation but is run privately now. The hotel was running at fullhouse and we were allocated only 1 night there and for the second night we had to move to other hotel. All of us were not keen to move out and check in again in another property but we were lucky they had a room, smaller but enough for 4.

The following day morning after breakfast we left for Air Itam to meet Zuraidah & her 3 children . Later the children took us for  lunch at the famous Kampung Melayu Air Itam Nasi Khandaq . It was really nice, but until today i cannot understand how people can eat rice with more than 6 varieties or flavors of curry in one plate??!! I had rice with ikan bawal goreng and 2 small sotong and the green chillies and lady's fingers. Memang sedap! Habis! Licin!

Nanti pergi Lagi! ha ha ha, Insyaallah.

After spending some time at her place we moved on to another "Jejak Kasih " session at Lone Pine Hotel to meet Omar's former colleague Razlan. He is the Room Division Manager there. Though he is on a tight schedule it was really nice of him to spare some time with us catching up with old stories and also to show us around the hotel & some rooms for my future visitors from overseas (paying visitors off course). Lone Pine is a lovely boutique hotel, i love the open space concept and the white washed wooden buildings. They receive lots of visitors from Russia, Ukraine , Australia & the Middle Eastern Countries.

After coffee with Razlan we drove to the city to have Bubur Kacang and Bubur Gandum at Ali Bubur near Gama. He has been standing and selling his bubur since 1970. I went for  bubur kacang with pulut. Price,with or without pulut is the same RM 1.20 per bowl and Rm1.30 if you tapau (take away) But he is "canggih"

now with his own brand name on the plastic bags .

Next to Ali Bubur was a Penang laksa stall. We ordered two and shared among us. Makan jangan tak makan! Everything was cheap, "sedap" and " rasa nak lagi", ha ha ha. So "harus pulang lagi". Insyaallah! Insyaallah! 

Later in the evening we went out for dinner with my brother who were coming from Bukit Merah. He has an apartment there and it took him less than an hour to arrive in the island. Another sister Suad was with him together with Kak Nab, my sister in law from Singapore. Gurney drive was too crowded and parking was impossible so we end up again at Hillside but everyone was disappointed as Rudy's Kway Teow were sold out and that was just 9 pm. Wow! Must be the Sunday crowd & also the holiday makers. Nasi lemak bungkus were gone too. So we had other food which were not on our priority list. The Kedondong Juice were superb !
So that was the end of our short holiday in Penang. Cari Kawan, Makan Makan & Jalan Jalan. No shopping at all.
We went back and the only activity was going through our own Fb,   Email etc. 
We decided to leave early after breakfast to escape the afternoon rain and Omar asked if i wanted to make a final visit to any part of the city. I replied in the negative and at the same time i was scrolling my messages on the phone. My Ukhti Zaleha wrote , "don't leave home without visiting Meera @ Little India. They have good assam jawa  and the spices too. "Woh! I was so excited. I told Omar lets go to Little India and i remember it was somewhere near Jalan Kapitan Keling. It was not difficult to find, just ask around & people would be able to show you.
Once i arrived, i was so excited. I was in the  heaven for a while. The assam jawa were so clean & fresh. 1 Kilo was rm 6.50 , Fresh green cardamons was rm 40 a kilo. I bought 1/4 kilo, enough to make "soup tulang" for 1 year , if i cook every weekend. I bought Malawi dhall which was so cheap and also 1 kilo of chickpeas and some cloves. I went crazy but was under control. I love entering spice shops & bazaars.
 For the first time i learned that there is something call black cardamons. So surprised! They are so much bigger and its really black in color. I also learn that cardamons do come from Guatemala & America also not just from India & Indonesia. How interesting & I bet the cashier was wondering why this women is so excited being in his shop. 
So, Spices & Tamarind from Meera of Little India were the only things i bought in Penang. Syukran Zaleha, you made my day! Nanti chek bagi hang sikit cengkih na or assam jawa, he he he.
Short but sweet holiday break in Penang or Pulau Pinang. Insyaallah will go back more often since we have rekindled friendships with some of our friends in the island. 

Insyaallah! Insyaallah! Insyaallah!

             

                           ASk Pipah-go-mana-mana!

Double Wedding in my Kampung, Kuala Kangsar

The new Railway station building in KK

Hanifah & Zurina busy getting the brides ready before the Akad 

Aiman meeting Kak Nab for the first time

Some of  my siblings that grew up together in Kuala Kangsar

Timah & her lovely daughters

The all time favorite salad at a Malay wedding

We received news that 2 daughters of my younger brother were getting married and it was going to be a small do at our kampung in Kuala Kangsar. Whenever its going to be a drive back home i developed a phobia of the massive traffic jam on the highway . We don't take holidays when people are on holidays but we had no choice but to take a trip to Kuala Kangsar. We drove on Friday, 9th Nov and it was the last day of school but Alhamdulillah traffic was good and we arrived early in this royal town where i grew up with my 9 brothers & sisters from the Malaysian wives of my late father. I have 7 more from his Indonesian wives which he had married while on transit from Turkey, long time ago, ha ha ha.

I was looking forward to meet most of the siblings as normally its at a wedding or at funeral do we have a chance to meet most of the relatives. School holidays has started so most of the nieces & nephews would be able to gather too.

Going back to KK or Kuala or Kuala Kangsar will always bring back fond memories of the time we had during school days especially or Raya trips. To some its their favorite food that they will be looking forward to. In KK they will be looking for Laksa Kuala, or Laksa Pak Ngah,Cendol which is not the same like those days, or maybe just simple local kueh like Apam Beras, or Putu Pulut or maybe having lunch at home with some lovely Masak Lemak & Ikan Pekasam or just spending breakfast at their favorite Kopitiam Yut Loy!

Beside the food, driving up the Bukit Chandan area is a must do activity. Admiring the beautiful Ubudiah Mosque which has been in the Tourism Malaysia posters & brochures ever since the department has been set up . It has the unique onion shape dome and so is the charming Istana Iskandariah. Personally, it is still the best designed Palace in Malaysia. Then the ritual drive round Bukit Residence  area where my former secondary school is located. The Government English Girl School  was the former  residence of the British Resident of Perak, Sir Hugh Low and hence the name Bukit Residen. Perched on a hill it commands a beautiful view of the Perak River and the villages along the river.

For us in the family , we went for our favorite noodles outlet by the river side as usual. As time was so limited with a Khenduri at night before the wedding, we went straight home to help around but in  actually fact to catch up stories with the siblings was the main intention. By the time we arrived 2 of my brothers & wives  were already there .

Later in the evening when it was time for Khenduri i had a wonderful time catching up stories with many of my late mom's friends who were mostly the neighbors. Even the caterer too was a good friend of my mom. As usual, everyone commented how prosperous i am now he he he, referring to my size but off course i don't feel insulted as i am so used to such remarks. Kak Rahimah the caterer was working in the hospital before she retired 7 years ago and she was close to my mom and at one time when i stayed in KK for a while after i got back from KK (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah) we were doing Tupperware together. It was so nice to meet & talk to friends of my late mom. I gave her a book as a present and she was so thrilled and she would give it to her husband, Abg Rashid who likes to read. Well you can never go wrong if you present someone with books & I am glad they like it.

The following day the wedding itself went smoothly. Just a simple Akad Nikah at our Masjid and later adjourn to our home for a small makan2. Before the Nikah, more siblings arrived from KL and also relatives and close friends from Ipoh ,Seremban, Singapore. Some could not make it because of prior engagements but however i was very happy as we had the chance  to take some photos which we rarely have the opportunity.

At the wedding, i managed to meet and catched up with more friends of my mom, my school mates  who are also my active Fb friends. 3 of them the friend i have not seen more than 30 years and it was so wonderful. My Wan Chor , who is my eldest surviving aunty from mom's side was there and she came despite her sickly condition. Looking at her reminds me so much of my mom.

Alhamdulillah the weather was so kind to us and it only rained after most have gone home and as for myself and family we continued our journey to Penang .

 To my 2 newly married nieces ," Aunty doakan kebahagian dunia & akhirat & semoga menjadi isteri2 yang solehah. Allahumma Amin Amin"

More exotic souvenirs from Uzbekistan.............take a look

The Uzbek Tea Set in the design of the Ikats

With the Master of Metalwork , Abdullo

I have traveled to Uzbekistan 5 times in 2 years and when ever it's time for me to leave for home it's always a nightmare  for me as i have to worry about the excess baggage which i have to pay at the airport. My local partner in Tashkent is getting use to this . To make matters worse, most of the time i travel back alone minus my friends like the last time i had to continue doing my recce in Ferghana Valley and the year before i had to continue to check out on Russia.

It is just not possible for me to split out the excess baggage among my passengers. There are so many things to bring home. The nuts of Uzbekistan,  they just drive me nuts. I will bring home kilos of almonds, pistachios, black raisins, golden raisins, chickpeas, dried apricots ( but they are really juicy) apricot seeds -rich in B 17 and so much cheaper here in Uzbekistan  than the price we have to pay in Malaysia. There is one particular item which they "hastak" which is a must for me to bring home. Its dried  apricots with almonds, walnuts mixed with raisins. It's real yummy plus they are good for the heart. Don't forget they have good mountain honey. Until now i have one former traveller who request for the honey every time i go. Its just extending a favor but off course he pays for the excess weight too.

When i mentioned to the group, they never really think so highly about the Uzbekistan honey and always comparing with the Manuka honey from New Zealand. But once they go to the mountain and taste themselves , most will buy at least 1 kg to bring home. I will remind and pre warn them though. I kg is equivalent to 1 kg of excess baggage. You have  to check in honey in your luggage. Don't dare to take in as a hand luggage, you will be very disappointed. Uzbekistan honey is delicious  and the price is just unbelievable compare to 1 kg of other brands you have in the market here.

If its autumn , the situation can be real bad. I will bring back persimmons, grapes & peaches and other fruits for the family and friends. That is one reason why i always keep the visit to the bazaar one final round before i leave for the airport.

What about non perishable souvenirs??!! If you are house proud and you like to decorate your walls, halls, bedrooms, kitchen, you have plenty to choose. Ceramics- Gijdhuvan, Rishton, or from Shakhrizabs are the popular ones and they have lovely fruits bowls, platters, nut bowls etc. When come to this , i always here husbands grumbling with their wives because they are the ones who will have to carry as hand luggage in the end, ha ha ha. They have good packaging  ready for the purchasers .

The have copper or silver tooling just like the "damasquinado " in Spain but off course , the price in Uzbekistan are 5 times cheaper . You can see some working right in front of you and 1 good place to see them at work is at the stalls near the Ismail Samani Mausoleum & Chasmi Ayub in Buxoro. You can bargain and their price are reasonable for the quality that you get.

Uzbekistan is famous for their fine lacquer work. You can buy little trinket boxes from as low as 5 USD and the bigger ones are around USD 10-25 . The price also depend if they are done by the students or the master which can fetch more than USD 200-300 depending on sizes . After so many visits, i can just stay in a workshop for hours  and admire the art work being created right in front of me. The best place to see the lacquer souvenirs is in Tashkent. One is at The Abdul Kassim Madresse and another one at the Hasti Imam Complex. Bargaining at the bazaar is their culture but don't go overboard, as most are art work which we should appreciate!

Beautiful suzanni on silk bag from Andijon

Walnut wood and lacquer

Beautiful suzanni table cloth

Mana-Mana Friends ,continuation...Mao & the fruit seller in Siem Reap

Continuation...............

After sometime at the fruit seller and feeling comfortable with Mao, as he was polite and humble, i decided to ask him to take me for a tour of the city on his Tuk Tuk. He seems like an honest man  and i was very impressed he could speak English quite well. He would guide me with the history, showing me all the important buildings in the city, even the history of each hotel. He would stop where ever i need to stop and even made recommmendations where necessary.  It was short and quick tour  but i had fun and learned so many things about Siem Reap . It was so interesting that i made a deal to engage him again later in the afternoon. 

Siem Reap is not a big city , tourists prefer to walk and explore by foot. There are plenty  of Tuk Tuk around so sometimes it is not easy for these drivers to get customers and life can be though. Mr Mao lives with his wife and 2 small kids and he is renting only a room. He works more than 12 hours a day.

He gets more during the peak tourist seasons which is from October till May and hardly survives during the low season. He strives to improve his English as he knows it's important for the tourist industry.

After engaging him for a few times , i trust Mao &  i plan to engage him every time i am in the city. If i have more than 4 people which is the maximum a Tuk Tuk can take, he will get a friend to drive for me as well. Tuk Tuk are very cheap and you don't have to bargain actually but check out the standard rates with the hotel before you take one. Don't forget to get a card or brochure of your hotel , just in case you forget the address and you will not be cheated.

Now i look forward to see Mao in December. We stay connected via emails....see, Tuk Tuk driver also "canggih" . He is so sweet, even if its not time for me to visit Siem Reap, he will drop a line and say hello and always wish me & family good health. I feel so blessed to have found an honest, simple & humble man. 

Mr Mao leaving for home after dropping me at the hotel

Wassallam

Mana mana ASk Pipah!

Mana Mana Friends.......With Mao & the fruit seller in Siem Reap

Last December i went with a group for girlfriends or popularly called '' rombongan cik kiah" to Siem Reap, Cambodia. That was my  1st trip with them as i normally meet them only during birthdays, or "khenduris", Hari Raya gatherings or open houses or during our "Kutu nights"
There is only 1 flight on Air Asia to this former French Colonised city, Siem Reap. The flight AK 1481 departs at 0735 am from LCCT  and arrives at 0835 am local time.

The immigration procedure was fast as they don't have many flights arriving at that hour together with us. For foreigners, you can apply Visa on arrival but please read up carefully on the internet regarding the requirements .You have to have the precise photograph size and also the photocopies of documents.
I learned  about this when i went for the second time when Bekhruz & Sitora came from Uzbekistan and together with Tengku Munirah & Rehan Harun we went for short holiday here.

One important thing to remember,  you must always get your entry card from the airplane. Just keep  extra in your bag. I must have doze off in the plane when the air stewardess passed by with the entry cards and i thought i will just pick it at the immigration counter upon arrival. Boy! i was wrong . They pushed me from one counter to another and gave all kinds of excuses and even said they have run out of cards. They even ask for money! I said i can go back to the aircraft if you allow me too, but off course that's not possible. Finally after almost everyone is out of the arrival hall, one officer came and gave me a copy which has been used . That i will never forget and insyaallah this December i will be traveling with some friends again, i will definitely be careful with their entry cards.

I am writing not about my travel in Siem Reap but about my friend i met there. He is Mr Mao !
When i was there the 1st time, we arrived early at the hotel, too early and we could only check in after 2 pm which is quite normal in hotels all over the world. Its free & easy for everyone till we leave for the Angkor Watt tour the following day.

So, i decided not to waste my morning sitting around at the lobby and i set myself to explore the city on my own. When i came out,  this tanned & friendly looking guy was calling for me. Tuk Tuk Ma'am.! City tour  Ma'am. He looked okay to me and i feel i will be alright as his Tuk Tuk is parked at the hotel entrance so he must be a reliable driver. So we agreed on the price, off i went. Guess where??!!

To the market off course! I went to look for fruits of which i know they have lovely sweet pineapples, mangoes, and also other fruits which are familiar to our country. They had mangosteen & rambutans too at that time. But besides these fruits i actually was locally for the cut fruits like we have at home to eat with salt & "sambal rojak"which i have brought from home. Until today i really wonder how i could escape the security check point as they could have just thrown it in the dustbin.  Anyway, I explained to Mao in details what i was looking for. So, he drove me near the French Quarters and found a lady selling it. Wooh! talking or rather writing about it is enough to make my mouth watery now.

OOh! these are really yummy!

Even Sitora from Uzbekistan loves these "Assam"

These lady is clean & neat !

Selangor Pewter Factory Tour

Last monday,  me & Raja Shahrin Shah or fondly called Ku Mah during schooldays decided to visit the Selangor Pewter factory in Setapak. We plan to browse around for appropriate gifts for our teachers who are attending the forthcoming Old GEGS get together scheduled for 24th November 2012.

Ku Mah has been there before to look for gifts and i had been there too when i brought Maude Jackson a friend from Capetown for a tour of the factory. 

I assume there are still many of us who has not been or know about this place. Maybe i am wrong but honestly it is good place that you can consider bringing your children,grandchildren, nieces & nephews  friends from the kampung or from abroad. They are open 7 days a week and admission is free. They have in-house guides that will take you around the workshops with very good explanations & commentary on the history of tin & pewter industry in Malaysia. You can have a hand at making the pewter too. Later you can browse around in their "canggih" showroom with all their products from the catalogue displayed. You can take photos, you can hold and touch the products. They have friendly staffs to help you around.

I love Selangor pewter and i have been giving these items for my foreign friends since i first started working. Its an iconic Malaysian identity . You can get from their outlets in various shopping malls or hotels but with limited choice . But a trip to the factory will most likely suit your budget.Even if you do not plan to make any purchase, the staffs will still smile at you. They have a cafe where you can sit and have coffee & cakes, the price are just like the ones you get in Delicious or Ben's or Plan B. 

Selangor Pewter has bought over Comyns , the British Sterling Silver company many years back and they have a special section just for this selections. I just fall in love with the Comyns selections of Malaysian fruits & vegetables. The price.........take a look yourselves! I like the silver garlic & the gold durian, ha ha ha. Ku Mah, get me the garlic for my next birthday, he he he, i won't ask for the durian, not to worry.

The also have a mini KLCC erected in pewter too! Nice place to take photos for remembrance, that's the closest you can get to KLCC, ha ha ha.

We spent not more than an hour in total as we had to drive to Top Hat to check out the venue & confirm the menu for our high tea for the get together. As we drove out, the buses that arrived the same time as we arrived had left and we saw a few smaller tourist vans coming it. I suppose it is a must see tourist product while you are in Kuala Lumpur. As a local, don't miss out on this. If you go, please share your views.

Wassallam                     

                                                             Mana mana ASk Pipah!